How to know which learning style will best suit your child?

How well your child does academically, depends upon the learning style you adopt for them. It transforms the way the student internally represents experiences, and the way he or she recalls information. To be absolutely sure that you are teaching your child according to their style of learning, this blog offers some insight on different patterns, characteristics defining every style, and the best ways through which you can make learning fun.

The three basic styles of learning -- auditory, kinesthetic, and visual. 

Children that are auditory Learners:

Those who learn by hearing things are auditory learners. These homeschooling children need to listen to stories, directions, and music to be able to learn. You will have to give them spoken directions to make them perform a specific task.

One of the best ways to make auditory learners absorb a certain topic is by making them repeat what they are learning out loud or through discussions. They may have to read out loud to be able to understand what they are reading.

Children that are kinesthetic Learners:

Those children who love to do things are kinesthetic learners. They love to draw, paint, build, dance, read, do science experiments, write, help clean or cook, etc. Basically, they learn by ‘doing’. The best way to teach a homeschooled kinesthetic learner is to get them to do a lot of hands-on activities.

Children that are visual Learners:

Visual learners are those children who have to see things to learn them. These students learn best by looking at pictures or by watching someone show them how to perform a certain task or do a certain thing. These students also pick up concepts quickly by watching videos. They might also do well with flash cards and color-coded charts.

It is extremely important to understand that many young children don’t have a learning style. Some develop a learning style preference very early, while others don’t have a dominant style of learning until much later. Generally, preschoolers through 3rd grade, children enjoy learning by performing activities and doing things. They like making a mess, creating things, moving around, talking and singing. Therefore, it is safe to assume that, for a very young child, “kinesthetic learner” category is the best fit. As children get older, they develop dominant learning styles or one or two less pronounced styles of learning, according to their personalities.